Thursday, November 28, 2013

http://edition.cnn.com - There are about 500 million Buddhists worldwide, but it's unclear exactly when in history this religion began. The Buddha’s life story spread first through oral tradition, and little physical evidence about Buddhism's early years has been found. Now, scientists for the first time have uncovered archaeological evidence of when the Buddha's monumentally influential life occurred. Excavations in Nepal date a Buddhist shrine, located at what is said to be the Buddha’s birthplace, to the sixth century B.C.The research, published in the journal Antiquity, describes the remains of a timber structure about the same size and shape as a temple built at the same site in the third century B.C. Archaeologists also found reason to think that a tree grew at the center of this ancient structure, lending support to the traditional story that the Buddha's mother held onto a tree branch while giving birth to him.“This is one of those rare occasions when belief, tradition, archaeology and science actually come together,” lead study author Robin Coningham, professor at Durham University in the United Kingdom, said at a press briefing Monday. “We know the entirety of the shrine sequence started in the sixth century B.C., and this sheds light on a very long debate,” Coningham said. Beneath remains of the Ashokan temple, archaeologists found a series of postholes from where timber posts had rotted out. The central, open portion of the most ancient temple appears to have housed a tree, based on the discovery of large fragments of mineralized tree roots. This part of the temple also had never been covered by a roof.To establish the dates of the earliest Buddhist shrine at Lumbini, Coningham and colleagues analyzed charcoal found within postholes, as well as sand. Different techniques used on each of these materials pointed to the same conclusion of the sixth century B.C., but the postholes indicated a range of about 800 to 545 B.C.

Archaeologists in Nepal say they have found traces of a temple timber structure linked to Buddha's nativity going back to the sixth century B.C. The remnants - unearthed at the Maya Devi Temple in Lumbini, Nepal, which has traditionally been venerated as the spiritual leader's birthplace - were analyzed with carbon-dating tests, and scientists has dated the time frame for the construction in the sixth century B.C. Lord Buddha was an incarnation of the Supreme and his birth was predicted in the Srimad-Bhagavatam several hundred years before the time He made his apparition. Buddha lived in India at a time when Hinduism was the most spread religion; and although following the Vedas, many people had deviated from the primary goal of Vedic philosophy. They liked to perform ceremonies and rituals for material enjoyment, which included animal sacrifices. Under the disguise of doing Vedic rituals, people indulged in eating the animal flesh. When there was a large unnecessary killing of animals, and as a result people were increasingly degraded, Lord Buddha came. He taught four noble truths: that suffering exists, there is a cause for suffering, suffering can be eradicated, and there is a means to end all suffering. But these topics were not new. These four basic truths had previously been discussed in the Sankhya philosophy before Buddha's appearance, and later been further elaborated upon in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras. Even more, these philosophical seeds of the Samkhya and Yoga had already existed in the Upanishads, millennia before the birth of Lord Buddha. (Editor's note).

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

The Vedas encode instructions according to the eligibility or qualification of various living beings, especially human beings. But in the course of time, ignorant men took the tamasika orders to be the only instruction of the Vedas and engaged in the extensive killing of animals, sometimes even sacrificing human beings during worship of the demigods. At that time, the Supreme Lord descended in the form of Buddha and outwardly rejected the teachings of the Vedas for the welfare of human beings incapable of comprehending the true teachings of the Vedas. ... As Lord Buddha was the Supreme Lord Himself, many people resolved to follow ahimsa-dharma-the path of non-violence, due to His influence. As a result of non-violence, the hearts of human beings became pious and their qualifications gradually increased, so Lord Siva appeared as Sankaracarya. He re-established the supreme authenticity and decorum of the Vedas, and founded the philosophy of ‘brahmakarana-vada’ (Brahman as ultimate cause).

Monday, November 25, 2013

www.jagranjosh.com - International Day for Elimination of Violence against Women is observed on 25 November 2013 across the world to raise awareness about violence against women. The theme for the year 2013 is: 'Unite to End Violence against Women'. This year, the UNITE Campaign is extending Orange Day to 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, starting from 25 November, International Day to End Violence Against Women, through 10 December, Human Rights Day. In 1999 the UN General Assembly designated 25 November as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. The date of 25 November was chosen to commemorate the Mirabal sisters, three political activists Dominican ruler Rafael Trujillo (1930-1961) ordered brutally assassinate in 1960.Why This International Day? • Violence against women is a human rights violation. • Violence against women is a consequence of discrimination against women, in law and also in practice, and of persisting inequalities between men and women. • Violence against women impacts on, and impedes, progress in many areas, including poverty eradication, combating HIV/AIDS, and peace and security. • Violence against women and girls is not inevitable. Prevention is possible and essential. • Violence against women continues to be a global pandemic. • Between 500000 to 2 million people are trafficked annually into situations including prostitution, forced labour, slavery or servitude, according to estimates. Women and girls account for about 80 per cent of the detected victims. • It is estimated that more than 130 million girls and women alive today have undergone FGM/C, mainly in Africa and some Middle Eastern countries.

Unfortunately every day more victims of male violence must be added. Many women are cruelly killed by men just for being women. It is said that up to 70 percent of women experience violence in their lifetime. Today the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, a necessary date to make a call for help to stop this social evil is celebrated. The international community did not explicitly recognize the alarming dimensions of violence against women worldwide until December 1993, when the General Assembly of the United Nations approved the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women. Until then most governments viewed violence against women as a private matter between individuals and not as a widespread problem that affects and seriously violates human rights and requires the intervention of the States as responsible for the protection, prevention, control, detection and punishment of all forms of gender-based violence. While Vedic culture teaches the true value of women as heads of households and as a representation of spirituality, the Goddess of Fortune and Motherhood, in many modern societies it is said that they try to achieve gender equality; however, we observe that the number of women killed and injured by their husbands or partners is steadily increasing. (Editor's note).

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

When in a society one loses respect, tenderness and gratitude for the mothers, society is condemned to degradation. This is notable nowadays where they talk a lot about women's liberty, but where the woman is openly the symbol of instinctive exploitation among men. The patience that mothers have with their children, and their practical function of protecting the family and connecting them with Mother Earth, Mother Nature, is a great gift from her for everybody. ... Mothers are in general more religious, more honest; they do not act irresponsibly or get intoxicated, etc. The balance between men and women, the aspect of complementing each other with the blessings of the Vaisnavas, is what is fundamental in a sane family and society. All kinds of sentiments about men being superior to women, is born from a mind of competition and from an inferiority complex. It is really very far from Krishna consciousness.

Friday, November 22, 2013

http://msn.foxsports.com - An American free diver died Sunday after trying to complete a 72-meter dive at a sanctioned event in the Bahamas. Nicholas Mevoli was attempting to set an American record in the constant weight without fins category, which requires divers, who are not using oxygen, to dive straight down and resurface without the aid of fins. At the 68-meter mark, Mevoli stopped and appeared to turn back for the surface, only to dive down farther in an effort to reach his goal. Mevoli eventually did reach the surface, but that’s when things took a turn for the worse. After being treated at the scene after Sunday’s try, Mevoli was brought to Vid Simms Memorial Health Center, where he was pronounced dead at 1:44 p.m. local time, one hour and 19 minutes after he began his dive. Mevoli was 32.Doctors at the hospital determined that he had pulmonary edema and had 800 cubic centimeters of fluid pulled from his lungs. Mevoli had previously set a different record in May, when he became the first American to dive to 100 meters unassisted, but with the use of a monofin. On last Friday, Mevoli failed to set an American record in free immersion diving and came to the surface with blood dripping from his mouth after abandoning his 96-meter attempt at 80 meters. The International Association for the Development of Apnea, the governing body for the event, said that Mevoli was the first athlete to die in an international competition in the sport’s 21-year history. There are no clear figures on how frequently deaths and injuries occur. “Some deaths go unreported ... but one estimate of worldwide freediving-related fatalities revealed a nearly threefold increase, from 21 deaths in 2005 to 60 in 2008,” Outside magazine reported.

Nicholas Mevoli, a 32-year-old from Brooklyn, trying to set a freediving record died last Sunday after he surfaced from a depth of more than 200 feet. He hoped to reach 236 feet (72 meters) with only one breath of oxygen and without the assistance of fins. In freediving, divers plunge to depths shunning breathing equipment such as oxygen tanks or other typical scuba-diving gear. As they descend, free divers can experience various negative health effects, including decreased heart rate and compressed lungs, however, the more dangerous problem is the buildup of carbon dioxide, which acidifies the blood. Now, we may ask why people wants to hold their breath for absurd lengths of time or perform other extreme activities? Thousands of enthusiasts might answer: “This is our overriding passion and it offers us an experience like nothing else.” This is very sad and unfortunate. Precious lives of young men and women are wasted in this crazy desire to practice risky sports. Our human life is very valuable, and it is not advisable to put our health in such threatening risks only to test the limits of physical endurance. We must live for higher purposes. If we can use this human life in a valuable way, we can acquire the key by which to become free from the whole chain of life in this troublesome world. (Editor's note).

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

Good skiers can go down a mountain at the same speed of an automobile on a highway. Falling down a mountain at such a rapid pace is certainly exhilarating, but there is an inherent risk involved. Just one small slip up, one mistake, and you can be part of a serious accident. ... We have no control over the events of nature, but how do people react to these near-death experiences if they do occur? Do they give up skiing as a result? Do they give up snowboarding? On the contrary, people still take to these dangerous activities knowing full well the risks that are involved. ... Why does this happen? Why do we repeatedly perform activities that we know are bad for us? ... Harmful behavior can only be eradicated if we have a higher engagement. ... Devotional service is a full-time engagement which involves dovetailing all our activities for the benefit of the Supreme Lord Shri Krishna, or God.

Sunday, November 10, 2013

- If you eat chicken raised commercially in the United States, you are most likely consuming arsenic. A study by Environmental Health Perspectives has found that a growth-promoting drug called roxarsone, which also treats parasites in the birds’ intestines and gives the meat a pink color, accumulates in the breast meat of broiler chickens. Roxarsone, manufactured by Pfizer, is an organic form of arsenic. Its use was approved by the FDA even though arsenic is a known carcinogen.After a study by the Food and Drug Administration found elevated levels of inorganic arsenic (iAs) in the livers of roxarsone-treated chicken in 2011, Pfizer voluntarily pulled the drug off the U.S. market. But the FDA has not acted to ban it, and it is still sold overseas.The study was conducted prior to Pfizer’s removing the drug, but the results have just been released. After roxarsone was pulled by Pfizer, chicken producers replaced it with nitarsone, another organic arsenic, indicating the results of the study are still relevant. The study’s authors analyzed chicken breast meat samples which came from 82 stores in 10 U.S. metropolitan areas. According to the study, cooked conventional chicken meat contained the highest amount of iAs. Cooked organic chicken meat had the lowest. Organic chicken most likely ingested arsenic through the water supply, the study’s authors suggested. A risk analysis performed by the study’s authors estimated that, based on the amount of chicken consumed over the average 70-year lifespan, there will be approximately 124 more cancers per year in the U.S. if arsenic-related drugs aren’t pulled from the market.

The first advice we can give all of you it that if you consume chicken, it is best to find locally raised, free-range organic chicken rather than that mass-produced by the large chicken producers. Three of four arsenic drugs used in animal feed have been banned by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Yes, that's right - that means that up until now, arsenic was used in animal feed. The drugs - roxarsone, carbarsone and arsanilic acid - were added to feed for chicken, turkeys and pigs to prevent disease and promote growth and a "healthy" pink hue. However, recent studies showed levels of arsenic in chicken are on the rise. It has been proved that the drugs added to feed animals along with all the germs and parasites found in meat weaken the immune system and are the source of many diseases. What we eat is very important for our health. More recently, medical research has found that a properly balanced vegetarian diet may, in fact, be the healthiest diet. Apart from considerations regarding health, most importantly, we must understand that if you want to eat meat an animal must be killed, and is an act of cruelty to kill innocent beings just to satisfy our tongue. Living compassionate, living cruelty-free is possible. Make the decision today and say NO to meat on your plate. (Editor's note).

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

The government and the food industry are trying to divert attention from the escalating problem of meat contamination by telling the consumer it is his own fault that these incidents happen. It is very obvious that they want to avoid hefty lawsuits, and bad-mouthing of the meat industry. They insist that dangerous bacterial outbreaks occur because the consumer does not cook the family's meat long enough. It is now considered a crime to serve a rare hamburger. Even if you have not committed this “crime,” any infection will be attributed to not washing your hands every time you touch a raw chicken or to letting the chicken touch your kitchen counter or any other food. ...Yet, with all the research proving that meat-consumption harms and kills millions of people each year, meat continues to be sold in all grocery stores.

Sunday, November 3, 2013

www.ibtimes.com - Diwali, the spectacular Hindu festival of lights celebrated all over the world, is kicking off today, Sunday, Nov. 3. The five-day event begins with traditional holiday staples like candles and oil lamps, called “diyas.” Diwali, a contraction of the word “Deepavali” - meaning row of lights in Sanskrit - is often celebrated with food, dancing, parties and, of course, colorful lights hanging everywhere. Many Hindus celebrate with prayer to Sita and Rama, the goddess and god of wealth and prosperity.The festival symbolizes the victory of light over dark, good over evil, and knowledge over darkness, and honors of the return of Hindu god Rama to his kingdom after years of exile.In the ancient Sanskrit epic “Ramayana,” Lord Rama along with his wife Sita and brother Lakshmana are welcomed back to their kingdom Ayodhya, with residents lighting oil lamps following the defeat of the demon king Ravana. Hindus continue to commemorate these events by lighting oil lamps, decorating their homes, and eating sweet treats. While some Hindus also exchange gifts made of gold, this year that could be problematic since a report last week said supplies of gold jewelry in India may be depleted right before Diwali. Diwali is not only celebrated in India, where more than 80 % of the country identifies as Hindu. Many other nations with large Hindu populations, like Trinidad and Tobago, also celebrate Diwali, each giving the holiday its own unique cultural flavor.

Happy Diwali to all of you. During this festival of lights, each house is lit up with oil lamps, candles and colourful electric lights. This very popular Hindu festival is celebrated on the new moon day when it is absolute darkness everywhere, so people light millions of lamps to get rid of the darkness. Traditionally, the earthen lamps with cotton wicks were lit in most of the houses. However with the changing modern times, earthen lamps have been replaced by candles in many of the houses. Yet, the concept of the festival of lights remains unchanged. According to the epic “Ramayana”, it was the new moon day of Kartik when Lord Rama, Ma Sita and Lakshman returned to Ayodhya after vanquishing Ravana and conquering Lanka. The citizens of Ayodhya decorated the entire city with the earthen lamps and illuminated it as a welcome to the Lord of their hearts. And the festival continues till today. Light is significant in Hinduism because it signifies purity, goodness, good luck and power. The existence of light means the non-existence of darkness and evil forces. We must also increase our faith and light the devotional lamp in order to illuminate our intellect, so we can well understand what is the real constitutional position that we must take and what is our duty we must fulfill in relation to God and our brothers and sisters. (Editor's note).

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

After defeating Ravana, Rama gave back the kingdom to Vibhishna, the brother of Ravana, thus establishing an eternal legacy for the Hindus that they might not usurp any possession that does not belong to them. Winning a war does not alter this principle. After winning the war and releasing Sita from the wicked Ravana, the period of fourteen years was over. It was time to return to Ayodha. The people of Ayodha were most eagerly waiting for this day. They welcomed their beloved Rama, along with Sita, Lakshman, and Hanuman, by lighting candles to welcome them. ... Diwali, or Deepawali, as it is often called, is the Festival of Lights. Undoubtedly, it is the most popular festival of Hindus. Nearly one billion Hindus celebrate this auspicious event with gusto and religious sentiment in all parts of world. Diwali signifies the return of Lord Rama, after completing his fourteen years of exile in the forest and winning victory over the wicked King Ravana.